Vince Gill & Paul Williams To Be Honored At NSAI’s Nashville Songwriter Awards
Vince Gill & Paul Williams. Photos: Courtesy of NSAI
Vince Gill and Paul Williams will be honored at NSAI’s 9th Annual Nashville Songwriter Awards. The event is slated for Sept. 22 at the Ryman Auditorium.
Gill will be honored with the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement award, the organization’s pinnacle honor, given to an individual whose works have made a significant contribution to the American songbook and one who has inspired the careers of others. In total, Gill has won 18 CMA Awards, 22 Grammy Awards, and eight Academy of Country Music Awards, and in 2025 was presented with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1991, Gill was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and in 2007 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His compositions earned him entry into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the prestigious BMI Icon award in 2014. Across his career, he has released 21 albums, sold over 30 million albums and charted 45 singles.
Williams will be presented with NSAI’s President’s Keystone Award, in recognition of his significant contributions to the industry for the betterment of all songwriters. Throughout his career, he has won an Oscar, three GRAMMY awards, two Golden Globe awards, earned induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has seen success in film and television. He has served as President and Chairman of the Board of ASCAP for the past 17 years and was personally selected for the award by NSAI Board President, Lee Thomas Miller.
“Having grown up loving and studying songs and the craft of songwriting, it is an immeasurable honor to call Paul Williams a friend,” says NSAI Board President, Lee Thomas Miller. “On a personal note, he has always been one of the warmest, classiest, and most professional rock stars of my career. As a BMI writer myself, it has been a joy to wage the copyright advocacy wars for the American songwriter alongside Paul, who has so often sat in the ASCAP seat. It is a great thrill to present this year’s NSAI President’s Keystone Award to our American treasure, Paul Williams.”
“City National Bank is honored to celebrate the remarkable achievements of this year’s honorees at the Nashville Songwriter Awards,” shares Diane Pearson and Lori Badgett, senior vice presidents, Entertainment & Sports Banking – Nashville, City National Bank. “The President’s Award and the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award represent the highest levels of excellence in songwriting, and we are proud to join NSAI in recognizing the extraordinary Vince Gill and Paul Williams whose work has inspired audiences and shaped the music industry.”
Additional awards, performers and more will be announced at a later date. Tickets go on sale on July 17.
